1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to solar collectors, and particularly to a modular solar panel constituting a solar heat collector and to manifold means for joining a plurality of elongated water carrying heat absorbing tubular members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art related to this invention is believed found in Class 126, sub-class 271. A search through this field of search has revealed the existence of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,859,980, 3,916,871, 3,934,323, 2,388,910, 3,125,091, 4,011,856. Of all of the patents listed it is believed that U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,980 is perhaps the most pertinent.
Literally thousands of people are exercising their creative abilities to invent and reduce to practice various types of solar energy utilization devices. One of the most expeditious means of harnessing solar energy for use substantially non-technical applications such as domestic water heaters and swimming pools is a solar panel adapted to be mounted on a roof or on a separate support structure or along a fence where it receives maximum radiation from the sun. Such conventional solar panels are frequently fabricated from materials such as aluminum or copper and are frequently painted or otherwise treated to expose a dark or black surface to convert such panels into a heat absorbing black body or heat reservoir.
Such technical considerations, while important from a technical point of view, increase the cost of solar panels to the point of prohibiting their use by a major portion of the population. Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a solar energy collecting device or panel that is modular in its construction and which adequately serves the need for most solar heat collector installations in terms of its capacity to heat water.
Most solar energy collecting devices must be factory fabricated and must be installed by skilled contractors who work at premium prices largely because the installation of solar heating apparatus is still innovative and little information is available regarding proper installation. Accordingly, another object of the invention is the provision of a modular solar energy collecting panel that is so simple in its components that such components may be purchased in kit form by the ultimate user through mail order or other outlets and easily assembled into solar collecting panels and installed on whatever support is appropriate, be it a roof, a separate support structure, or an available fence.
Many commercially available solar energy collector panels constitute an enclosed and sealed envelope to eliminate the possibility of loss of collected heat through the process of convection. Such structures require expensive construction techniques, sometimes including evacuation of the envelope so as to surround the heat absorbing elements with an evacuated space which functions as insulation to prevent the loss of heat. It has been found that for most domestic purposes it is not necessary that the heat collector panel be fully enclosed or that it be evacuated to be effective within the limits prescribed by domestic use. Accordingly, a still further object of the invention is the provision of a solar heat collecting panel that incorporates means for enveloping at least one side of the heat collecting panel, preferably the side thereof exposed to the sun, with an easily applicable or replaceable transparent membrane.
Many conventional solar heat collecting panels for domestic use are unwieldy in that they are relatively long, frequently as long as 8 or 9 feet, and in some instances are as wide as 4 feet. Such a structure is unwieldy not only because of its size, but is difficult to handle because of the risk of damage to the panel if unexpected stresses are imposed. Accordingly, a still further object is the provision of a solar energy collecting panel that is relatively narrow in its final modular form and which can be constructed of any length and which may be easily and effectively joined to adjacent modular panels without the use of special tools.
The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood however that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and described since it may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the appended claims.